State of Iowa Archives: on Jobs

Three years ago, more than 100,000 Iowans were out of work. Jobs were hard to come by and investment in our state was inadequate. We refocused our economic development efforts by changing our approach. Together, we created the Iowa Partnership for
Economic Progress. This public-private partnership is reaping dividends for our economy with more investments and more jobs for Iowans. In the last three years, Iowa has seen $7.5 billion in new capital investment, and I am pleased to report that
since taking office, over 130,000 new jobs have been created in this state.

Perhaps the best example of our state's turnaround and of our policies working for middle-class families is seen in Lee County, which had the highest unemployment rate in the
state when I took office in 2011. Iowans in Lee County are getting back to work, thanks in part to the largest on-shore purchase of wind turbines in history and a world-class fertilizer plant bringing much needed jobs and investment to the area.

Source: 2014 Iowa State of the State address
Jan 14, 2014

Joni Ernst:
Top priority: Jobs and economy

Inside the Ida Grove Skate Palace, the politicians were peppered with questions from about 100 Iowa voters. Before the forum, the candidates told us what issue is most important to them.

"Jobs and economy," said State Senator Joni Ernst.

"Balancing the budget," answered former State Attorney Matt Whitaker.

"Grow the economy," said Dr. Sam Clovis.

With an ever growing list of Republican candidates the biggest challenge, right now, may be standing out in a crowded field. "I am a
strong conservative and I have a proven record in the Iowa State Senate. Others may say that having a record is a good thing, but in this case I will gladly put up my conservative record," said Ernst.

"I am certainly not the status quo, and I won't rep

Source: Siouxland News KTIV on 2014 Iowa Senate debate
Nov 19, 2013

Mitt Romney:
The free economy means sometimes we lose jobs

Q: As head of Bain Capital, you acquired American Pad & Paper. Two U.S. plants were closed and 385 jobs were cut. Later, you bought Dade International. Almost 2,000 workers were laid off or relocated. And when you were governor, Massachusetts ranked
47th of the 50 states in job growth. You are going to be the jobs president?

A: Absolutely. Let me tell you how the real economy works. When I was at Bain Capital, we invested in about 100 different companies. Not all of them worked. I know there are
some people in Washington that doesn't understand how the free economy works. They think if you invest in a business, it's always going to go well. And they don't always go well. In those 100 businesses we invested in, tens of thousands of jobs, net-net,
were created. I understand how the economy works. And, by the way, as the governor of Massachusetts, when I came in, jobs were being lost. We turned that around. Our unemployment was below the federal level three of the four years I was in office.

Q: You've suggested replacing government jobless benefits with individual unemployment savings accounts. Jobless benefits for millions of Americans are about to expire; would you extend them?

A: Unemployment benefits, I think they've gone on a long,
long time. But I would rather see a reform of our unemployment system, to allow people to have a personal account which they're able to draw from as opposed to having endless unemployment benefits. Let's reform the system, make the system work better by
giving people responsibility for their own employment opportunities and having that account, rather than doling out year after year more money from an unemployment system.

Q: Would you sign a bill to extend unemployment insurance if you were president
right now?

A: If I were president right now, I would go to Congress with a new system for unemployment, which would have specific accounts from which people could withdraw their own funds. And I would not put in place a continuation of the current plan

I will be bringing forth legislation to transform our current Department of Economic Development into a public/private partnership. This will be a partnership that unshackles our economic development efforts from an alphabet soup of bureaucratic programs
and brings the best practices from both sectors to recharge our job creation mission. And I intend to give that new partnership new tools to market our state to job creators.

[We'll] eliminate impediments to job growth. While tax policy can take us a
significant way forward in our effort to compete for new jobs, much of that work can be undone by a bureaucracy that fails to understand the critical relationship between burdensome regulation and job creation. The rules and regulations identified throug
this process will be the first subjected to our proposed rolling sunset and I will further order all future proposed rules and regulations to contain a jobs impact statement so we can identify those that cost jobs before they impact our Iowa employers.

Source: 2011 Iowa State of the State Address
Jan 27, 2011

Roxanne Conlin:
Small business tax credits to create jobs

I opposed the bailouts for Wall Street. I will work to help small businesses, the backbone of our economy, through tax credits that create jobs. I will promote innovation and expansion.
We need a senator who will fight for relief on Main Street, not more bailouts for Wall Street.

John Edwards:
We need a president whoís willing to say the word ďunionĒ

Q: What do you see the role of president in protecting & encouraging union jobs?

A: Well, first, we need a president of the United States whoís actually willing to walk on the White House lawn and say the word ďunion.Ē
Second, we need a president of the United States who will explain to the American people that the union movement helped build the great middle class in the United States of America and they will be crucial to building the middle class
and strengthening the middle class in the future. We have well over 50 million people in this country who would like to join a union. If we really want to strengthen and grow economic security, we must strengthen and grow the organized labor movement.
In order to do that, we need to change the law. If you can join the Republican Party by signing your name to a card, every worker in America should be able to join a union by signing their name to a card.

Romney erred when he claimed US job growth had been nearly 17 times faster than that of Europe. Romney said, ďWe are the largest economy in the world. During the time Europe added 3 million jobs, weíve added about 50 million jobs in this country.Ē

That miraculous sounding statistic is way off. It has taken since the end of 1978 for total employment in the US to grow by 50 million jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But total employment for the 15 core members of the European
Union (those who joined before 2004) grew by well over 33 million between 1978 and 2005.

Romney was misquoting an outdated and highly dubious figure, which was used by an author who no longer stands behind it. Romney cited a 2005 article in The
American Enterprise magazine, which said, ďSince the 1970s America has created some 57 million new jobs, compared to just 4 million in Europe (with most of those in government).Ē The articleís author told FactCheck.org he wouldnít use the figure today.

Source: FactCheck on 2007 GOP Iowa Straw Poll debate
Aug 5, 2007

Al Sharpton:
Institutional discrimination still hinders minorities

Q: What would you do to close that gap between unemployment rates for whites and minorities?

SHARPTON: We must be honest about discrimination and have a president that will enforce anti-discrimination laws. We still have institutional discrimination
in this country, which is worse than blatant discrimination. What is hurting us is that 50 years ago, we had to watch out for people with white sheets. Now they have on pinstripe suits. They discriminate against our advancement and our achievement.

MOSELEY-BRAUN: I think the answer lies in providing capital for the development of jobs and businesses in communities where people live. Because if you give someone the ability to create a business, provide equity capital, give people the ability to
begin to create those businesses that will help lift up communities, that will go a long way to solving the endemic problem of institutional racism, of discrimination and of the lack of jobs in African-American and Hispanic communities.

Source: Iowa Brown and Black Presidential Forum
Jan 11, 2004

Al Sharpton:
Create jobs that are necessary

Q: What would you do to reduce unemployment in the minority communities?

A: I have proposed throughout this campaign a $250 billion five-year plan to create jobs that are necessary: infrastructure redevelopment, roadways, highways, bridges, tunnels,
school buildings and -- in the name of homeland security -- ports. We ought to be investing in creating jobs. Thatís what Roosevelt did with public works programs. Kucinich is right, we must go after A, what is necessary, and B, what will create jobs.

Q: What would you do to close that gap between unemployment rates for whites and minorities?

SHARPTON: We must be honest about discrimination and have a president that will enforce anti-discrimination laws. We still have institutional discrimination
in this country, which is worse than blatant discrimination. What is hurting us is that 50 years ago, we had to watch out for people with white sheets. Now they have on pinstripe suits. They discriminate against our advancement and our achievement.

MOSELEY-BRAUN: I think the answer lies in providing capital for the development of jobs and businesses in communities where people live. Because if you give someone the ability to create a business, provide equity capital, give people the ability to
begin to create those businesses that will help lift up communities, that will go a long way to solving the endemic problem of institutional racism, of discrimination and of the lack of jobs in African-American and Hispanic communities.

Source: Iowa Brown and Black Presidential Forum
Jan 11, 2004

Dick Gephardt:
Ask the WTO for an international minimum wage

Q: What is the an acceptable number of unemployment?

A: My target would be zero. At the end of the Clinton administration we had unemployment in the country down to 3 percent. We did things that really got people to be employed.
We increased the minimum wage, and thatís the first thing that I would do. Iíd also ask the WTO for an international minimum wage. My health care plan would create 750,000 new jobs by getting everybody covered with health care insurance.

Source: Iowa Brown and Black Presidential Forum
Jan 11, 2004

John Kerry:
Provide employment opportunities to minorities

Q: What would you do to close that gap between unemployment rates for whites and minorities?

A: The reason that exists is because we have an indifference, a casual indifference in the leadership of our country that ignores the fact that we have a
separate and unequal school system in the US. We need a president who is going to fight against those special interests. Weíve got to change our attitude about how you raise kids in America, how you provide opportunity.

MOSELEY BRAUN: Unlike [the elder] George Bush, who said no new taxes, this Bush seems to think the answer is no new jobs. We need to create jobs in America again, and the way that we do it is to focus in on
the fundamentals. While the short-term numbers look good-the stock market has gone up and the like-our fundamentals are really in trouble: huge current account deficits, huge budget deficits, a trade deficit with China alone of $100 billion. We are going
to have to take steps to reverse those trends that are sinking our economy and sinking our ability to create jobs.

What would I do? First, health-care reform. That not only solves a social problem, but also a way to take the costs of health care off of
the back of our productive sector, our manufacturers, our small businesses, so that we can create jobs here at home. Second, environmental protection. Creating whole new industries with technology transfer. Thatís the direction in which Iíd head.

FACTCHECK on Jobs: Carol Moseley Braun set a new standard of exaggeration in castigating President Bushís handling of the economy:

MOSELEY-BRAUN: [Bush is] the worst president on the economy, in terms of jobs, 6 million jobs lost.

FACTCHECK:
Actually, the economy hasnít lost anything close to 6 million jobs. As of the latest figures released last month, the economy had 2.3 million fewer total jobs in November than when Bush took office. Even at the worst of the job slump last July, the job
loss was just 2.7 million. Note: Many Democrats like to cite the loss in private sector jobs, not total employment. Focusing only on private-sector jobs ignores the tens of thousands of new government workers hired-including teachers, policemen and
federal airport security workers-and makes the job slump sound worse than it was. But even the loss of private-sector jobs under Bush now stands at 2.7 million according to most recent statistics. It did go to 3.2 million at the worst of the slump.

Howard Dean:
Support farming via family farms, not corporate farms

Q: Americaís farmers need open markets for their crops around the world.

DEAN: The way to support American farmers is to change the American farm bill so that big corporations
donít get the majority of the money that goes out of the farm bill. We can support small family farms, and we should. But the money ought to go to the farmers, not the big corporations.

Q: Would you change the ďsubsidy mentalityĒ of the farm program to a market-based program?

LIEBERMAN: First, agriculture is a critical part of American economic life and American history. Second, the 2002 farm bill, which I supported, improved the
previous program with a series of counter-cyclical subsidies that I think are appropriate. So right now I would say, no. Itís very hypocritical when Europe criticizes us for our farm subsidies when, in fact, they have larger subsidies than we do.

GEPHARDT: Iím Dick Gephardt, and I approve this message because I want to stop George Bush and fight for America Ďs middle class. George Bush has lost more jobs than any president since Herbert Hoover. Heís lost more jobs than the last 11 presidents.

ANALYSIS: Te economy shed just over 2.7 million payroll jobs in the current slump. But thatís 124,000 fewer jobs than were lost than between July, 1981 and December, 1982, when Ronald Reagan was President. And at that time the economy was much smaller.
It now seems likely that Bush will end his term with the economy employing fewer payroll workers than when he took office. If that happens, Bushís critics will be able to say correctly that heís the first since Hoover to have ended an entire term with
a net job loss. But itís premature to say that now. Even Reaganís bigger job loss was erased less than two years after growth resumed. And [itís possible] that job gains in the next 12 months that would leave Bush with a net gain in jobs.

Source: Ad-Watch in Iowa by Fact Check.org
Dec 4, 2003

Al Sharpton:
Need federal laws to protect workers, not state-by-state

Q: How would you use the office of president to be a labor organizer?

SHARPTON: The first thing the president must do is have federal laws that protect workers. How did we get civil rights? How did we get gender rights? We stopped relying on states wit
a statesí rights argument to do it state by state. If we had strong enforceable federal laws giving workers the right to organize, then we could go in Florida and other states and say they are in violation of the federal government and the federal law.

Source: AFSCME union debate in Iowa
May 17, 2003

Al Sharpton:
On picket lines & in jails for 35 years for workers rights

For the last 35 years, not only have I stood for workersí rights, Iíve been there. Iíve marched on the picket lines. Iíve gone to jail with labor leaders. Iím sure Iím the candidate on this platform thatís been on more picket lines and unquestionably
more jail cells with union leaders than anybody in this race. Because this is not about what you say. This is about what you do. This is not about making sound bites. This is about having a life- style that protects those that make America what it is.

Source: AFSCME union debate in Iowa
May 17, 2003

Bob Graham:
We pay bonuses in suites & fire workers in basement

Iím running for president to secure our economic future. In the last two years, we have lost jobs. Weíve lost our pensions. Weíve lost confidence in the American economy, and the only solution that the president offers --
more tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.

As president, I will invest in our people. As president, I will assure that we will not have the corporate greed which is paying bonuses in the suites while the workers are being fired in the basement.

Source: AFSCME union debate in Iowa
May 17, 2003

Dennis Kucinich:
Enshrine workersí rights in a workersí White House

As president Iíll make sure that workersí rights are enshrined in a workersí White House. Because workers have a right to organize, a right to bargain collectively, a right to strike, a right to compensation if youíre injured on the job. Certainly a
right to fair wages and fair benefits.

As president, Iíll issue an executive order which will say that anyone who gets a federal contract will have to provide that when 50 percent of the workers sign up for a union, thereís an automatic union.

Source: AFSCME union debate in Iowa
May 17, 2003

Dennis Kucinich:
Joblessness is a weapon of mass destruction

I ask this administration: ďTell me Mr. Bush, where are those weapons of mass destruction?Ē Iíve seen those weapons and Iíll tell you where they are. Joblessness is a weapon of mass destruction. Poverty is a weapon of mass destruction.
Hopelessness is a weapon of mass destruction. Letís bring back hope in America. Letís bring back jobs in America. Letís bring back workersí rights in America.

Source: AFSCME union debate in Iowa
May 17, 2003

Dick Gephardt:
Represents hard-working labor union people

I come from a labor-union household. My dad was a teamster and a milk-truck driver in St. Louis. He told us that because he was in a labor union, we had food on the table. Iíve tried to represent people like my parents, the hard-working people like you,
who make this country what it is and make it great. And when Iím in that Oval Office, you will have a president that cares every day on every issue about the hard-working people of this country, who are in labor unions, who work hard every day.

Source: AFSCME union debate in Iowa
May 17, 2003

Dick Gephardt:
Establish international minimum wage

Q: What measures do you support to bolster the economy?

GEPHARDT: Health care for everybody is the best way to stimulate this economy. To do it weíve got to get rid of the Bush tax cuts. Secondly, a minimum-wage increase for the American people would
be a great way to get this economy moving again. And finally, Iíll go to the WTO and ask for an international minimum wage. Weíve got a race to the bottom going on. Jobs are going from Mexico to China. Itís time to bring those jobs back here.

Source: AFSCME union debate in Iowa
May 17, 2003

Howard Dean:
Supports living wage via subsidies for kids & housing

In our state, we supported something called living wage. That means not only do we hike the minimum wage above federal level, we subsidized child care up to $39,000 a year. Everybody under $55,000 a year had health care for their kids under 18.
We had affordable housing programs. If you want to stop the erosion of the middle class in this country, you are going to have to do something to support the middle class while they are working, because President Bush certainly isnít going to do that.

Source: AFSCME union debate in Iowa
May 17, 2003

Dennis Kucinich:
Engrave into stone the rights of working people

The soul of the worker is not for sale. It will not be sacrificed upon the corporate altar, nor annihilated by a hostile or indifferent government. The soul of the worker will be redeemed by the enshrinement in law of workersí rights.
If in 2004 Labor goes up to the mountaintop of our nationís capital, it must bring back, engraved in stone, the rights of working people:

Alan Keyes:
Family farms: Decollectivize banks; withdraw from WTO

Q: Since the family farmer is self-employed, would you cap government agriculture benefits to a modest one-family level? A: We need to look at the root of this problem. In the course of this century we restructured our banking system in a way that was
insensitive to the needs of the family and independent farmer. We need to restore an element to the banking system that works with and is sensitive to the capital needs of farmers. Opening up new markets canít be done in the context of this collectivist
free trade approach that does not allow us to maximize the clout we gain from our enormous market. And I want to get away from this collectivist bargaining approach and in a hard-hitting way, a business-like approach force other countries to accept our
goods as the condition of their entry into American markets. We canít do that at the collectivist so-called free trade bargaining table and thatís why I think we ought to withdraw from the WTO.

Source: GOP Debate in Johnston, Iowa
Jan 16, 2000

Gary Bauer:
Family farms: Demand that Europe stop protecting theirs

Q: Since the family farmer is self-employed, would you cap government agriculture benefits to a modest one-family level? A: If we wake up one morning and the American food supply is controlled by a handful of corporations, we will regret it for the rest
of our history. I will cap the benefits. Iíll enforce the anti-trust laws. But Iíll also make sure that China quits playing us for suckers. And Iíll tell our European allies, stop protecting your farmers or we will fight just as hard for our farmers.

Source: GOP Debate in Johnston, Iowa
Jan 16, 2000

George W. Bush:
Family farms: Food for Peace instead of food as a weapon

Q: Since the family farmer is self-employed, would you cap government agriculture benefits to a modest one-family level? A: I would look at the formulas to make sure that the money was distributed fairly. And I would have an agricultural department that
would send the money out on a timely basis. I believe we ought to open up markets all around the world. We ought to reduce barriers and tariffs. We shouldnít be using food as a diplomatic weapon. We ought to implement the food for peace program.
We ought to eliminate the death tax as well so people can pass their farm from one generation to the next. And we ought to have good sound risk management policies that give farmers more options when it comes to crop insurance, and more options on how to
manage their income. Agriculture is incredibly important for this country and one of the reasons why weíve had trouble in the world is because administrations have traded off agriculture just as if itís a secondary part of our economy. Itís not.

Source: GOP Debate in Johnston, Iowa
Jan 16, 2000

John McCain:
Family farms: Crop insurance; reduce inheritance tax

Q: Since the family farmer is self-employed, would you cap government agriculture benefits to a modest one-family level?A: Obviously we need crop insurance. Why is it that the government takes almost everything that a family farmer earns all his
life and canít pass it on to their children. The inheritance tax [should] kick in only at a level of about $5 million. Also, I will lower barriers to product goods and products from other countries, if they will lower their barriers to ours.

Source: GOP Debate in Johnston, Iowa
Jan 16, 2000

Orrin Hatch:
Family farms: Crop insurance; no capital gains on land

Q: Since the family farmer is self-employed, would you cap government agriculture benefits to a modest one-family level? A: Iíd sure consider it, because concentration in the agricultural area. isnít fair to the farmers. Weíve got to solve the vertical
and horizontal integration problems. Weíve got to get tough on trade. Weíve got to have crop insurance. Weíve got to have freedom to farm with a safety net. We ought to cut capital gains so that thereís no capital gains on farm equipment and land.

Source: GOP Debate in Johnston, Iowa
Jan 16, 2000

Steve Forbes:
Family farms: Lower interest rates; enforce anti-trust

Q: Since the family farmer is self-employed, would you cap government agriculture benefits to a modest 1-family level? A: For the farmer thereís several things that have to be done.

And the Federal Reserve has got to get off of this high interest rate kick.

Source: GOP Debate in Johnston, Iowa
Jan 16, 2000

Al Gore:
Base farm policy, like hormones in livestock, on science

Q: How would you ensure access to foreign markets for farm products? A: We canít let Europe & Japan determine our farm policy. The decisions on hormones in livestock ought to be based on sound science. Not science controlled by people working for the
companies that profit from these new technologies, but neutral, dispassionate experts who will give us the best & most accurate conclusions about their safety. If theyíre safe, if they enhance productivity at no risk, then we ought to be able to use them

Source: Democrat Debate in Johnston Iowa
Jan 8, 2000

Alan Keyes:
Family farms are nursery of moral character

Since the Republic was founded, the family farm has been understood as one of the bedrock sources of the moral character of this nation, of the sense of the combination of individuality and commitment to community. We lose the family farm and we
lose the nursery of Americaís moral character. We therefore have a stake that goes beyond money, it goes beyond food. Itís a question of Americaís moral decency.

Source: Des Moines Iowa GOP Debate
Dec 13, 1999

John McCain:
Ethanol is not worth it, even in Iowa

Iím here to tell you that I want to tell you the things that you donít want to hear as well as the things you want to hear. And one of those is ethanol. Ethanol is not worth it. It does not help the consumer.
And those ethanol subsidies should be phased out and everybody here on this stage, if it wasnít for the fact that Iowa is the first caucus state, would share my view that we donít need ethanol subsidies. It doesnít help anybody.

Source: Des Moines Iowa GOP Debate
Dec 13, 1999

Orrin Hatch:
Assist farmers in transition to free market

Q: You voted for the Freedom to Farm Act. A: Thatís right. And it was the right thing to do. If farmers want to make better profits off of their farm commodities, the only way to get there is to get into the free market. But having said that, we have
not done a good job in helping on the transition. This has been a tough time for farmers. [One problem is] death taxes. A family farm has to be sold to pay the 55% death tax and thatís ridiculous. Iíll lead the fight to get rid of it.

Source: Des Moines Iowa GOP Debate
Dec 13, 1999

Steve Forbes:
Ethanol should be self-sufficient by 2007

Q: Do you think that ethanol has had a fair test in the marketplace? A: Iíve supported having a few years of a fair test. In the year 2007, when this current program expires, if it canít stand on its own two feet, then it ought to go. What we have here
is a bankruptcy of finding new uses for agricultural products. With a little investment in imagination we will find fantastic productive uses that will pay very rich dividends. So, yes, let ethanol have its run to 2007. If it doesnít work, cut it out.

Source: Des Moines Iowa GOP Debate
Dec 13, 1999

Steve Forbes:
Raise wages by allowing growth, not by fiat

Q: Do you support the elimination of the minimum wage? A: If a state has a minimum wage, and they want to get rid of it, fine. But they are under federal law. We have a [federal] minimum wage and thereís no way they can opt out of that. But the best way
to raise wages in this country is not through government decree. The way to do it is remove barriers to people getting ahead, have investment incentives, get more growth than we have today, which weíre capable of doing, and productivity - not by fiat.

Source: Des Moines Iowa GOP Debate
Dec 13, 1999

Bill Bradley:
Labor reform: Give teeth to pro-union laws

[I support] changing labor laws so that more people can succeed in their organizing efforts

We need to put teeth in the law so that if somebody is fired for organizing, then that employer has to pay three times back wages, plus punitive damages

You need a ban on striker replacement in this country

Companies that violate the labor laws [should be] ineligible for government contracts in this country.

Source: Speech at the Iowa AFL-CIO
Aug 18, 1999

Bill Bradley:
Supports unions for home-health & day-care workers

The lowest-paid workers in America are those who take care of our children and those who take care of our elderly parents when they are dying. Those workers deserve to be represented by a union because they deserve to have the power of the union behind
them to give them leverage to get more money and better benefits for their family.

Source: Speech at the Iowa AFL-CIO
Aug 18, 1999

Bill Bradley:
Increase minimum wage; universal health coverage

I am running so that more and more people can get to higher economic ground in this country. I believe we need more economic growth, more fairly shared. Thatís why we have to increase the minimum wage. Thatís why we need to make sure every American is
covered by a health insurance policy in this country.

Source: Speech at the Iowa AFL-CIO
Aug 18, 1999

Dan Quayle:
End farm crisis by more exports & tax relief

Quayle held Vice President Al Goreís agriculture policies responsible for the growing farm crisis by failing to address record-low commodity prices and declining land values. ďIf elected president, I will implement real solutions to end this farm crisis
and save the family farm. That means ending government policies that are driving commodity prices down, expanding US agriculture exports around the globe, and enacting sweeping tax relief that reaches every farmer,Ē Quayle concluded.

Source: Press Release on Iowa Farm Crisis
Aug 11, 1999

Steve Forbes:
Farm crisis caused by federal policies

Americaís farm economy is in serious trouble. Interest rates are too high, and while the Federal Reserve raises rates, commodity prices have plummeted. Agriculture is in crisis and deeply flawed government policies are the cause. Now is the time for
change. We need to reduce interest rates, tear down trade barriers to open new markets, reduce taxes and regulations on farmers, investigate potential anti-competitive practices, and encourage the use of private crop insurance. The time to act is now.